Nail puller for claw hammer

ABSTRACT

A conventional claw hammer is fitted with a pivoted link intermediate the hand-held end of the handle and the head which defines the conventional claw. This link includes a lower portion which defines an auxiliary claw so located as to be conveniently used to withdraw a nail from a plank once the purchase of the conventional claw has been exhausted by the user. A spring urges the link and auxiliary claw against the handle in a stowed configuration but the link is free to pivot against the bias of the spring when the device is used to withdraw a particularly long nail.

United States Patent Balkus, Jr. May 27, 1975 NAIL PULLER FOR CLAWHAMMER Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith Assistant Examiner-Robert C.Watson 4 D d [76] Inventor gi f gg r 'lz 6 eepwoo Attorney, Agent, orFirmMcCorm1ck, Paulding &

Huber [22] Filed: May 15, 1974 21 Appl. No.2 470,333 ABSTRACT Aconventional claw hammer is fitted with a pivoted link intermediate thehand-held end of the handle and the head which defines the Conventionalclaw. This [58] Fie'ld 26 21 22 link includes a lower portion whichdefines an auxiliary claw so located as to be conveniently used towithdraw a nail from a plank once the purchase of the [56] F ReferencesCited conventional claw has been exhausted by the user. A UNIFIED STATESPATENTS spring urges the link and auxiliary claw against the 175,3313/1876 Browne 254/25 handle in a stowed configuration but the link isfree to 526,678 10/1894 Blake 254/22 pivot against the bias of thespring when the device is 1 2:3 a :2 used to withdraw a particularlylong nail.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures NAIL PULLER FOR CLAW HAMMER This inventionrelates generally to improvements for claw hammers or the like, anddeals more particularly with an attachment adapted to be convenientlymounted to the handle portion of such a hammer in order to permit use ofthe resulting claw hammer in withdrawing relatively long nails or spikeswithout bending such spike, or in the alternative without searching forsome convenient means for raising the effective fulcrum at which theconventional claw hammer pivots, as for example by searching for a scrappiece of wood or the like.

Basically, the present invention resides in a conventional claw hammer,which hammer includes a handle and a head fitted to one end of thehandle, which heads includes a conventional nail driving anvil portion,and which also includes a conventional nail pulling claw portion andassociated convex fulcrum surface. In accordance with the presentinvention a link is pivotally connected to the handle in spacedrelationship to the head, and generally intermediate the free end of thehandle and said head associated end. A pair of auxiliary claws projectfrom the end of said link opposite the pivoted end, and said auxiliaryclaws are spaced above the claws provided in the head portion of thehammer at least when the link is in a normal position stowed alongsidethe handle. As so constructed and arranged these auxiliary claws can beused, in conjunction with the same fulcrum used for the conventionalclaws on the hammer head, so as to withdraw a particularly long spike ornail from a plank. More particularly, the conventional claws would beused to withdraw the spike a conventient distance above the surface ofthe plank, after which the head of the nail would be placed between theauxiliary claws on the link so that the handle of the hammer can bemoved in a conventional fashion with the result that the link pivotsaway from the handle as the nail is further withdrawn from the plank.

Of the drawings:

FIG. I is a side view of a conventional claw hammer with a deviceaccording to the present invention provided on the handle thereof. thedevice shown in phantom lines in a second position showing the device inan alternative position to that depicted in solid lines in this view.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the device depicted on the claw hammerof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the FIG. 2 device.

Turning now to the drawings in greater detail, a conventional clawhammer is shown as including a wooden handle portion one end of which isadapted to be held in the hand of the user so as to drive nails by meansof an anvil portion 12 of a conventional forged head indicated generallyat 14. The head 14 also includes a nail pulling portion 16 which ispreferably in the form of a pair of projecting claws defining a V-shaped notch therebetween so as to permit the claws to be convenientlyinserted between the upper surface of a plank P and the underside of thehead of a nail N in order to withdraw the nail from the plank. Infollowing this movement the drawing shows that the nail will be removedgenerally vertically upwardly at least through the distance D. adistance of perhaps one and a half to one and three quarter inches.However, when a nail N is to be withdrawn which has a length exceedingthis dimension D it will be apparent that withdrawing the nail by meansof the conventional claw 16 will result in excessive bending of the nailunless one adopts some procedure for varying the height of the fulcrumdefined by the convex surface 20 provided for this purpose in the head14. More particularly, a typical procedure will usually involve castingabout for some suitable block of wood or the like to insert beneath thehead of the hammer in order to increase the purchase provided by theconventional claw hammer. The present invention seeks to obviate thisrequirement for redefining the fulcrum point at which the conventionalclaw 0f the hammer adapted to operate.

Still with reference to the drawing, FIG. 1 also shows a link 22 mountedto the handle portion of the hammer 10 adjacent the upper end of saidlink 22 by means of a pivot pin 24. More particularly, the link 22 has abifurcated upper end portion which defines furcations 26 and 28 bestshown in FIG. 2. These furcations are adapted to receive the handleportion of a conventional claw hammer and they include aligned openingsfor receiving the opposed end portions of the pin 24. The pin 24 thuspasses through these aligned openings in the furcations 26 and 28-and ispreferably riveted at either end to provide a convenient assembly of thelink 22 with respect to the handle portion 10 of the conventional clawhammer.

The lower end of the link 22, that is the free end portion opposite thepivoted end defines an auxiliary claw 30 located generally above theconventional claw 16 in the head 14 of the conventional claw hammer. Theclaw elements 32 and 34 comprising the auxiliary claw 30 define aV-shaped notch therebetween similar to that in the claw 16. Theseelements 32 and 34 project outwardly form the link 22 in the samedirection as the conventional claw 16, and opposite that the furcations26 and 28 at the opposite end of the link 22. Thus, the auxiliary claw30 is conveniently available for providing a second purchase on thepartially withdrawn nail or spike N when the link 22 is in its normal orstowed position alongside the handle 10 as shown in FIG. 1 of thedrawings.

It is a futher feature of the present invention that means is providedfor holding the link 22 in its normal or stowed position alongside thehandle, and preferably, said means comprises a short leaf spring 36 oneend of which is riveted to the upper end of the link 22 and the otherend of which extends upwardly beyond the pivot pin 24 so as to engage aportion of the handle 10 whereby the link 22 is urged into the solidline position shown. Thus, the leaf spring acts between the handle andthe link and includes a free end portion extending upwardly generallybetween the furcations 26 and 28 to engage the handle at a point spacedabove the pivot pin 24. Additionally, the spring is carried by the link22 so as to provide a convenient subassembly readily adapted forimproving a conventional claw hammer. It will be apparent that as thehandle 10 is moved from the solid line position shown toward the phantomline position of the drawing the leaf spring will deflect allowing thelink 22 to move away from its normal or stowed position and henceallowing the nail N to be withdrawn from the plank generally verticallyupwardly rather than laterally as would be the case without theauxiliary claw. This advantageous situation obtains while utilizing thesame generally convex fulcrum surface normally provided at the end ofthe claw hammer.

I claim:

1. In a claw hammer which includes a handle and has a head provided atone end of the handle, which head has a nail driving anvil portion andalso a nail pulling portion defined by projecting claws and a convexfulcrum surface, the improvement comprising:

a. a link one end of which is pivotally connected to the handle inspaced relation to said nail pulling portion,

b. auxiliary projecting claws at the opposite end of said link, saidauxiliary claws being spaced above said claws in said head when saidlink is in a normal position alongside the handle,

c. means for normally biasing said link toward its normal positionalongside the handle, and

d. said link being so arranged with respect to said handle and saidfulcrum in said head that said link is pivoted away from the handle whensaid auxiliary claws are used to draw a nail.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said link is pivotallyconnected to the hammer handle by a pin provided in the handle, said oneend of said link being bifurcated with the furcations spaced to receivethe hammer handle and with openings to receive said 3. The combinationdefined in claim 2 wherein said biasing means comprises a leaf springacting between the handle and the link and including a free end portionextending upwardly between said furcations to engage the handle, saidspring being carried by said link.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said auxiliary clawsprotrude outwardly above said claws in said head, and wherein saidfurcations protrude oppositely to receive the handle therebetween, saidlink being normally stowed alongside said handle by the action of saidspring and readily available for use in said normal position as a resultof said auxiliary claws being above the claws in the hammer head andprotruding in

1. In a claw hammer which includes a handle and has a head provided atone end of the handle, which head has a nail driving anvil portion andalso a nail pulling portion defined by projecting claws and a convexfulcrum surface, the improvement comprising: a. a link one end of whichis pivotally connected to the handle in spaced relation to said nailpulling portion, b. auxiliary projecting claws at the opposite end ofsaid link, said auxiliary claws being spaced above said claws in saidhead when said link is in a normal position alongside the handle, c.means for normally biasing said link toward its normal positionalongside the handle, and d. said link being so arranged with respect tosaid handle and said fulcrum in said head that said link is pivoted awayfrom the handle when said auxiliary claws are used to draw a nail. 2.The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said link is pivotallyconnected to the hammer handle by a pin provided in the handle, said oneend of said link being bifurcated with the furcations spaced to receivethe hammer handle and with openings to receive said pin.
 3. Thecombination defined in claim 2 wherein said biasing means comprises aleaf spring acting between the handle and the link and including a freeend portion extending upwardly between said furcations to engage thehandle, said spring being carried by said link.
 4. The combinationdefined in claim 3 wherein said auxiliary claws protrude outwardly abovesaid claws in said head, and wherein said furcations protrude oppositelyto receive the handle therebetween, said link being normally stowedalongside said handle by the action of said spring and readily availablefor use in said normal position as a result of said auxiliary clawsbeing above the claws in the hammer head and protruding in the samedirection from the handle.